People in Los Angeles’ lower income communities have significantly harder time accessing electric vehicle chargers, according to a new UCLA study released Thursday.
The study highlighted a significant gap in EV charging access, showing that about 70% fewer charging stations per capita are accessible in disadvantaged neighborhoods compared to others.
The researchers also emphasized that equitable access to charging infrastructure is vital for the transition to electrified transportation.
“There are 55,000 ‘public’ chargers in the continental U.S., but only 37,000 are fully accessible, and government data is misleading people into thinking the supply is larger than it really is,” Yifang Zhu, a UCLA environmental health professor at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health said.
Electric vehicles have been a key component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate changes, according to UCLA researchers.
Further research analyzed over 470,000 user reviews and U.S. Department of Energy charger location data to access network coverage and user experience.
The analysis found that 27% of public charging stations have restricted access, such as, “employees only,” 10% required separate paid parking, and 2% under repair. That leaves 61% functionally accessible.
“In the reviews we analyzed, we found that people often found that they would arrive and a charger would be broken, or the app wouldn’t accept payment to activate the charger, or without a clear line people would fight for use of the charger,” Zhu said.
The analysis also found that 18% to 21% of lower income communities in LA have fast-charging stations.
Users in disadvantaged communities were also more likely to have negative experience with public charging, according to Zhu.
Among other findings, hardware and technical issues such as malfunctions with chargers, screens, card readers and plugs were reported by 47% of users.
The study found 22% encountered difficulties with access, including parking restrictions, access limits, blocked parking, unsafe locations, inadequate lighting or a lack of nearby amenities.
Additionally, 13% of users noted poor user experiences, such as slow charging speeds and long lines.